Engineering Physics

Engineering Physics Stream 工程物理科

History

It was the beginning of X-ray therapy service at Queen Mary Hospital in 1937 that led to the employment of physicists to maintain the radiation therapy equipment at the Queen Mary Hospital and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the 1960s. In the early eighties, physicists started to take up the role of acceptance testing and maintenance of diagnostic X-rays equipment. Nowadays, medical physicists (engineering physics) are working at 6 major Cluster Hospitals within Hospital Authority to provide maintenance support of radiological equipment.

Top left:

In 1937, X-ray therapy service was provided following the opening of Queen Mary Hospital which is situated at mid-level in Hong Kong Island, facing Lamma Island shown on top of the picture. (Photo Courtesy of Queen Mary Hospital)

Top right:

Commencement of Cobalt-60 teletherapy service in 1953 at the Queen Mary Hospital ended with the history of teletherapy in Hong Kong by decommissioning the AECL Cobalt-60 Teletherapy unit in 1993.

Bottom left:

Brown Boveri Swiss-made Betatron at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kowloon operated at between 10 MeV and 35MeV. The patient was viewed from the control room through a 10 in. cube of high-density lead glass.

Bottom right:

The installation of the first two 6MV medical linear accelerators by Vickers Armstrong (UK) at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in 1963. The first-generation linear accelerator powered by microwave tube to treat cancer. (Bottom Photos Courtesy of Public Works Department, Hong Kong)